So thats all folks, Summer is here, the UAE is emptying for holidays, and I am moving house! 
Since starting Gluten Free UAE I haven't taken ANY time off, so this summer, I am going to give myself a proper break. Don't worry though, I have a huge backlog of recipes and restaurants to add to the website, and I will get those up at some point, as well as update twitter and Facebook when I feel the urge. 
But OFFICIALLY I am now on holiday until Schools start in September. Thanks to ALL of you for all your support over the past 15 months or so. Keep your posts on Facebook coming, I will still check the email for anything urgent, so if you are newly diagnosed and need some advice, please don't hesitate to get in touch. Always happy to help. Thanks :) 

Linda

Great news! XY Clinics have decided to offer a fixed price of 500dhs for all Gluten Free UAE users. Just mention 'Gluten Free UAE' when booking your appointment. This offer will run until further notice. A great price for anyone without insurance to get the tests done at an affordable rate. 
A few points to remember:

• You can not have the test if you are already on a gluten free diet, your result WILL be negative.
• A positive result is not a complete diagnosis, you would still need further tests to confirm 100%. If your test does come back positive, I can recommend you go to one of the Dr's listed under the Doctors tab of our website. They are all doctors of many Celiac patients.
• The blood tests are not 100% accurate, and if you have a negative and a strong suspicion that you DO have celiac, then further investigation will still be needed. Someone with for example IgA deficiency will also show negative on the blood test. 
• A first degree relative who tests negative would still need to be tested again through his/her life as Celiac disease can develop at any time in life. 

Should relatives of someone with Celiac be tested? There is a 1 in 22 chance that someone with a first degree relative who has Celiac will develop the disease too (1 in 39 for a second degree relative). My personal opinion (remember, I am not a doctor) is to test anyone in your family who may be at risk, but most certainly all 1st degree relatives. Given that over 95% of Celiacs world wide are undiagnosed, really, there can be no harm in doing the test right? There are tons of websites out there discussing this. Google 'who should be tested for Celiac' and you will get many answers. 

-Linda